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The case of Asiya Bibi and blasphemy in Pakistan

On October 31, 2018, the Supreme Court in Pakistan gave Asiya Bibi a clean chit and ordered her to be freed. Asiya Bibi became famous as a young Christian woman who was working as a contract worker in a farm in Pakistan along with Muslim women. Her fault was to drink from the same well as the Muslim women, who became ballistic and said she had polluted the well because she was not a Muslim. Than she was hounded by the local Panchayat and the Mullah, who brought a case against her that she had blasphemed against the Prophet. This led to an FIR and she had to spend the last eight years on Death Row in Pakistan. The Sessions Court and the High Court had given her the death sentence and her lawyers approached the Supreme Court.

This is why Pakistan is considered a dangerous country. No other religion is safe in this Islamic Republic, and it breeds terrorists like chickens, hatched and taken care off by the Army, the ISI, and even political parties. Thus, several terrorist organizations headed by the Fanatic Mullahs such as Hafiz Saeed, Osama bin Laden and Masood Azhar are protected, given arms and money to send death squads to fight against India and Afghanistan and the West. The latest Mullah to have political aspirations is Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who heads the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party.

He came out of nowhere but paralyzed the capital Islamabad a year ago saying that Nawaz Sharif’s party had blasphemed against the Prophet by allowing Ahmadiyya’s a vote or some such obscure rant. Instead of taking him on the state gave into his demands of making their own law minister resign and then the Army was seen giving them Rs 1000 each to disperse and holding a hand to their heart and saying, “You are one of us.”

Just this video played out on Pakistan TV, showed just how much the Army of a country is compromised by the monsters they have created and the Army has a nuclear arsenal and the button at hand to play with as they wish. And many of them support the fanatical view of their monsters. How can they not be affected by the radicalism that they see on a daily basis? Terror Experts in both the East and the West have written books on just how much the Pakistani Army is itself a radicalized Islamist Force.

To come back to the present, when the Supreme Court declared Asiya Bibi, who had spent eight years on Death Row, a free woman, the Mullahs went on a rampage. They threatened to kill the Army Chief, the Judges and Imran Khan if Asiya Bibi was allowed to go free. They also said they would make Pakistan burn. Seeing them on TV and their vitriol and hate along with thousands of sympathizers was perhaps the scariest visual one can see of Pakistan and it happens often.

At the moment Asiya is still in jail or maybe in an undisclosed location and her family is being protected. But saner voices in Pakistan that are increasingly few and far between say that she and her family will have to be flown out to a country for asylum as her life, and her family’s life would not be safe even if protected. After all Salman Taseer the Governor of Punjab was killed by his own bodyguard when he took the side of Asiya Bibi.

However, with Pakistan there is always a twist in the tale. It came out today that Khadim Rizvi has won once again as the Establishment made a deal with him to stop the protests and Asiya Bibi would be put on an Exit Control List, which means that her life and her family are at the hands of the baying mobs who have promised that they will all be killed. Even her bodyguards could be her killers as it has happened before. This is exactly what Khadim Rizvi wanted. He promised that Asiya would be killed.

The bodyguard who murdered the governor of Punjab was hanged but he has millions worshipping at a shrine that was built for him and Khadim Rizvi is one of them.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Blog

The blog will cover current issues ranging from politics to pollution — getting readers to question why India is behind in many aspects. Why do countries like China, Thailand, and Malaysia get more tourism, business and investments? Why do Indians blame history, geography or politicians for all our problems? How can Indians be more responsible? India is one of the most undisciplined countries, but when Indians go abroad they are among the most law abiding people. No Free Lunch will try to provoke readers to debate on how Indians can contribute toward building a better country.

Author

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was execu. . .

Blog

The blog will cover current issues ranging from politics to pollution — getting readers to question why India is behind in many aspects. Why do countries like China, Thailand, and Malaysia get more tourism, business and investments? Why do Indians blame history, geography or politicians for all our problems? How can Indians be more responsible? India is one of the most undisciplined countries, but when Indians go abroad they are among the most law abiding people. No Free Lunch will try to provoke readers to debate on how Indians can contribute toward building a better country.

Author

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was executive producer with the International Commentary Service Inc, New York in 1990. She was the executive publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992- 98). She has also worked as the editor of Choices Magazine, United Nations Development Programme. She writes on various issues including human rights, population and sustainable development.

Freelance journalist Ashali Varma has authored the biography of her father late Lt. Gen. PS Bhagat — ‘The Victoria Cross: A Love Story’. She was execu. . .